


Stonehenge

by 7thweasley



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, The Marauders - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Remus has AIDS, and he's dying, nonmagical AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-04
Updated: 2014-11-04
Packaged: 2018-02-24 03:22:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2566445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/7thweasley/pseuds/7thweasley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Remus dying of AIDS, Sirius knows their time together is limited, so he tries to make the most of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stonehenge

"Do you need help with that?" 

"No, Sirius. I'm perfectly fine with carrying my own bag," Remus said patiently, although struggling with the case.

Sirius still bounded towards Remus and grabbed it from him. He ceremoniously settled it into the back of his car, and then went back to help Remus get in the car.

Remus moved slowly but surely, leaning into Sirius as he did so. His hands that were wrapped in ace bandages and his face with blemish concealer on it were pale with cold, even if it was only September.

"I'm okay, Sirius," Remus repeated, but made no move to get rid of Sirius' presence.

He wasn't really though. Remus Lupin, age 23, had gay-related immune deficiency, (later known as AIDS and HIV), and was dying from it. It was 1983, and the whole gay community was under siege with this new disease.

But Sirius didn't mention this. Instead, he said, "I know, Remus."

"Let's go."

~~~

Three hours into their drive, Remus threw up into one of the plastic bags they brought. 

Sirius pulled the car over into the next rest stop, and went to throw away the bag and buy Remus water and the gum he loved from a vending machine.

"Thank you," Remus said weakly, "I'm sorry about–"

"It's okay. It's okay," Sirius said, reaching over to rub Remus' back. "Are you okay to keep going?"

Remus nodded. "I'm gonna take a nap in the back."

"I'll wake you up when we get there."

~~~

"Remus," Sirius said, turning to shake him gently. "We're here."

Remus sat up and blinked the sleep from his eyes. 

From their car he could see a distance to the great monument. Stonehenge. He had always wanted to visit when he was a child, but his parents never had the money. When Remus first started dating Sirius (four years previous), he had told him about this silly childhood dream, and Sirius promised to take him one day.

Today, Sirius was fulfilling that promise. 

He exited the car and pulled out Remus' collapsed wheelchair. Once unfolded, he pushed it over the gravel to Remus' door. This time, Remus didn't try to refuse his help, just let him pull him into the chair.

As Sirius pushed Remus down the faint path, Remus said quietly, "I can't believe you took me here."

"I did promise you, didn't I?" Sirius said.

"You also promised to win me that one stuffed black dog at the fair this summer, but here I am, dog-less," Remus teased.

"You're not going to let me forget that one are you?" 

"You always shot the ducks too late."

"You could have helped me, or were you my damsel in distress?" Sirius tried to counter.

Remus was quiet for a moment. "The gamekeeper wouldn't let me touch the controls, remember?"

Now it was Sirius' turn to be quiet.

"Hey, I made good on this one, though. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, too, to be here," Sirius said, breaking the silence.

"No kidding," Remus said, and gave a dry laugh, "It's now or never for me to see this thing."

"You don't mean that."

"Oh, but I do. Few more weeks, and I'll be dead. No more Stonehenge for me. No more anything for me," Remus said, relatively calm for the meaning of the words that were spilling out.

"Come on, now. Not much longer and they'll have a cure, or at least medicine, for this thing."

Remus shook his head. "Won't be around for much longer."

Sirius didn't say anything because the deepest, darkest part of him knew it was true.

"This is as far as we can go," Sirius said when they reached the fence and informational signs.

"It's good. Read those to me?"

"Of course."


End file.
